Literary Lion. It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas.

It’s official. I always thought I was quite adept when it came to all things technological, but apparently I am wrong.

I was off on a jolly to the Wimbledon tennis championships yesterday – something I have been wanting to do ever since I was small – and I had scheduled this week’s Literary Lion to post magically in my absence. Or so I thought.

Apologies to those of you who were gearing up to rise to the Lion’s prompt yesterday, I hope you can forgive me and my newly realised technologically challenged ways.

This week’s prompt was likely dropped into the jar by a festive visitor. Whether you chose to believe it was Santa that gave me the prompt is totally your prerogative, but I think this word has the bearded man’s name written all over it.

The word is ‘Merry’.

As always, you have a week to pen a piece of flash fiction in 400 words or less. Include the tag ‘Literary Lion’, pingback to this post, have a butchers of each others work, and give me a mention on twitter and Instagram so I can share the words.

Only 169 sleeps til Christmas. Here is my merry tale.

Kringle.

Those fluffs of white weren’t fooling anyone he was rosy. Glistening strands of silver hair that caught the firelight in their synthetic forgery.

I don’t know why I’d never realised. Yes his belly was round and his cheeks were flaming, but that’s what the diet of the inebriated will do.

Hold the mince pies but don’t forget the sherry.

I wanted to check my stocking one more time before some shut eye. I found him slouched in the armchair, buttons undone, beard around his neck, necking the bottle. Moments ago I’d tentatively poured a dribble into one of those small sherry glasses. It was crystal etched with florals and the ruby liquid sang between its light catching edges.

For sipping only.

As I tipped the bottle I envisaged the authentic festive father slurping between present placing, trying not to see pine needles all over the floor, leaving with crumbs in his beard. But this was not that, and he was not authentic.

I tried to wonder if the real thing was just waiting on the rooftop for the sleeping household, but then I remembered catching Mum slipping a coin under my pillow when my last baby tooth fell out and I realised it was all a lie. No chocolate wielding rabbit, no tooth trading fairy, and no man in a red suit being pulled by horned creatures across the sky.

The only man in red was sat in my front living room with a bottle of empty sherry and a head that would flinch at the slightest sound in the morning.

Haha! The tennis was wonderful, I have post Wimbledon blues today though. You’ll be pleased to hear I saw Murray vs Pospisil, and then Djokovic vs Cilic. The atmosphere for the Murray game was electric, but Novak was an absolute pleasure to watch, he really loves tennis… even when Cilic had done something great and it meant Novak had lost a point, he’d still applaud his move and look impressed. We were actually trying to swap our tickets when we found out Federer was on Court 1, I was heartbroken not to see him, but Wimbledon found out and told us off! I did manage to catch him practicing though, he’s more Godlike in the flesh. 😀

I never thought I’d see a better returner than Agassi but Djokovic is amazing. I was lucky enough to see him in that magical year when he won 3 slams and had this ridiculous run of winning matches. How did they found out? There are snitches everywhere haha. And how hard was it to get tickets?

He certainly is. Oh wow, I bet that was an exciting time to see him, just on the cusp of greatness. I put an ad on Gumtree and then arranged to swap with someone via Twitter… and they were watching. I didn’t think it’d be an issue because I wasn’t selling them or trying anything funny, I just wanted to watch the player I love, and the guy that wanted to swap really wanted to see Murray… what exactly is wrong with that?!

I was hoping you had some well connected uncle or something. I was going to ask to borrow him for tennis slams 😉 I saw him at the 02, at the end of that mammoth season. You could just feel his confidence. Will you be going this year? There are rumours it will be the last one.

Little bits in between work, it might be a quick game hey?! What do you think about Murray v Feds? I’ve managed to score tickets to the final, if Federer loses the tennis gods are definitely against me! 😣

Haha, no, there’s no higher power, I’m just very resourceful when it comes to getting what I want 😀 It’s something I’ve had to pick up during my working life! I missed the boat on Seinfeld, have always wanted to go back, maybe I will one day…

Your descriptions are impeccable! I never trusted Santa as a kid. The thought of some old fat man breaking into my house to give me presents while I slept gave me the creeps! By the way, I’m so jealous that you went to Wimbledon. I’m sitting at my mundane job in this dank, beige cubicle listening to Wimbledon radio on my phone. I broke my headphones, so Sharapova’s grunt is making it particularly difficult to adjust the volume to a level that I can hear without disturbing my co-workers.

Delicious piece! I especially loved the descriptors of the sherry glass. I dread the day that magic of childhood vanishes for my kids. Hopefully not due to an enebriated Santa, though! Hope you see Federer on Sunday!

Gosh it’s a horrid thought isn’t it? But hopefully you can keep the magic alive for them for as long as possible! I did see him and it was fantastic thank you, it turns out magical moments do still exist as an adult 😀

I found that a very dark story – a child, illusions smashed and probably not looking forward to Christmas at all given the state his father (I assume?) will be in.
Great story and well written, though!